Favorite student emails

[ciao_yall]

This one the week before the semester started:

Hello Good Morning Dr. [bio_nonymous]

I am going to be in your class this upcoming fall semester and was wondering what textbooks do I absolutely need to obtain for the course?  I ran into not using a few textbooks at all last semester so I thought that I would ask. I know it says that the book is required for this class, but do we really need to get the book?

Thank you,

[Bemused Student]

I received a bolder question a few years ago. The student wanted to know if it was possible to earn a grade of "A" without having the main textbook (the assumption being that a general education course should be extremely easy).

The worst part of the email I didn't mention before: the class is a basic science requisite of professional graduate medical education--this was no clueless freshman!

Having bought books in college that were barely touched, I can't say I blame the student for wanting to make sure.

Some of my colleagues do that as well - spec a book but then end up doing their own thing all semester.

[Chemystery]

This one the week before the semester started:

Hello Good Morning Dr. [bio_nonymous]

I am going to be in your class this upcoming fall semester and was wondering what textbooks do I absolutely need to obtain for the course?  I ran into not using a few textbooks at all last semester so I thought that I would ask. I know it says that the book is required for this class, but do we really need to get the book?

Thank you,

[Bemused Student]

I received a bolder question a few years ago. The student wanted to know if it was possible to earn a grade of "A" without having the main textbook (the assumption being that a general education course should be extremely easy).

The worst part of the email I didn't mention before: the class is a basic science requisite of professional graduate medical education--this was no clueless freshman!

Having bought books in college that were barely touched, I can't say I blame the student for wanting to make sure.

Some of my colleagues do that as well - spec a book but then end up doing their own thing all semester.

The flip-side to that is the students who get upset with you because you DO use the book that they were required to buy.  One of my all time favorite RMP complaints was from a student warning others that they would have to actually do the assigned reading because I asked questions about it on the tests.  I had that very info in three different places on my syllabus.  I used to pull up that review on the first day of class just in case my new students didn't think I was serious.

[dismalist]

Alas, compatriots, all of the above, all of it, shows that the snowflakes are completely rational: It matters not that one learns, but rather it matters to graduate -- as easily as possible. All this just shows that most of higher ed is signalling, not learning.

If attendance got one an A, the customers would want letters from doctors excusing them from attending!

Let's continue.

[the_geneticist]

There is no way to win.  Either you require the book & use it a lot & get complaints that you "teach from the book" or you try without a book & get complaints that "they really wanted a book".  We have a really hard time convincing the [Basketweaving majors] that they NEED to buy and KEEP a copy of [Big Book of Baskets].  I get the temptation to rent a copy, but it ends up costing more to rent it multiple times than buying it once.  And if you buy it, you should KEEP it.  Selling it back & buying it again is not a good plan. 

[Puget]

An actual favorite (I think?)-- after the first class a student sent me an email profusely thanking me for making it so fun and welcoming and easing their anxieties as an international student. On the one hand, who doesn't like effusive praise? On the other hand, I don't think I did anything that remarkable -- I had them form groups and introduce themselves and exchange contact info in their group, we did some interactive stuff (it's a flipped class, so the in person part is always really interactive), and I have some humane course policies which I highlighted. The fact that the student seemed to find this extraordinary makes me wonder a bit what my colleagues are doing. . .

[onthefringe]

Email in its entirety:

"I'm confused"

On follow up, he was indeed confused. Turned out to be looking for the syllabus quiz for a different course on the LMS page for my course.

[marshwiggle]

Email in its entirety:

"I'm confused"

On follow up, he was indeed confused. Turned out to be looking for the syllabus quiz for a different course on the LMS page for my course.

Hey, well at least he read it! (Enough to know it was the wrong one, at any rate.)

[apl68]

An actual favorite (I think?)-- after the first class a student sent me an email profusely thanking me for making it so fun and welcoming and easing their anxieties as an international student. On the one hand, who doesn't like effusive praise? On the other hand, I don't think I did anything that remarkable -- I had them form groups and introduce themselves and exchange contact info in their group, we did some interactive stuff (it's a flipped class, so the in person part is always really interactive), and I have some humane course policies which I highlighted. The fact that the student seemed to find this extraordinary makes me wonder a bit what my colleagues are doing. . .

Sometimes it's the seemingly simple things that click with somebody and make a real difference.  Anyway, congratulations on a classroom victory!

[Parasaurolophus]

This could also be in 'teaching despair'.

Sept. 2
Student: I haven't received any assigned time to join the online classes for the same course. I request you to give me details regarding the joining time of the same.
Me: The university scheduled 110-02 as an asynchronous online course. If you check the syllabus, however, you'll see that I'm also running synchronous help sessions once a week at the appointed time.

Sept. 5
Student: Kindly please tell me where can I join the synchronus help sessions through the week for 110-02. Also, can you please tell me where to check the syllabus for the same.
Me: Check the 'welcome and course format' section at the very beginning of the syllabus.

Sept. 6
Student: Kindly please help me with synchronus help sessions as I am unable to find where and when to join. Also, the 'welcome and course format' you mentioned earlier is to be opened in elearn application or somewhere else? I will be very grateful if I get helped with this situation.
Me: The 'welcome and course format' is the very first section of the syllabus. The syllabus and all other course documents are available on eLearn. There, you'll also find the links to our help sessions.


This is for a critical thinking class which starts tomorrow. Although I suppose, in fairness, that the student hasn't yet completed the course...

[Langue_doc]

This could also be in 'teaching despair'.

Sept. 2
Student: I haven't received any assigned time to join the online classes for the same course. I request you to give me details regarding the joining time of the same.
Me: The university scheduled 110-02 as an asynchronous online course. If you check the syllabus, however, you'll see that I'm also running synchronous help sessions once a week at the appointed time.

Sept. 5
Student: Kindly please tell me where can I join the synchronus help sessions through the week for 110-02. Also, can you please tell me where to check the syllabus for the same.
Me: Check the 'welcome and course format' section at the very beginning of the syllabus.

Sept. 6
Student: Kindly please help me with synchronus help sessions as I am unable to find where and when to join. Also, the 'welcome and course format' you mentioned earlier is to be opened in elearn application or somewhere else? I will be very grateful if I get helped with this situation.
Me: The 'welcome and course format' is the very first section of the syllabus. The syllabus and all other course documents are available on eLearn. There, you'll also find the links to our help sessions.


This is for a critical thinking class which starts tomorrow. Although I suppose, in fairness, that the student hasn't yet completed the course...

ESL student?

[Parasaurolophus]

ESL student?

Probably, yeah. It has the ring of direct translation to it. Given the trouble they're having finding stuff, I'm worried they're going to try to do the course on their phone.

[Langue_doc]

Email in its entirety.

"I registered for your online class. What am I suppose to do next, because I did not see the class on Canvas."

Stu doesn't seem to have logged on to hu's account yet.

[sinenomine]

Email in its entirety.

"I registered for your online class. What am I suppose to do next, because I did not see the class on Canvas."

Stu doesn't seem to have logged on to hu's account yet.

I had one like that last semester; I had to explain that she needed to click on the modules and the items in them, not just stare at the screen.

[quasihumanist]

I've had a bunch of students e-mail asking me about this that or the other, without telling me which class they were asking about.

[Langue_doc]

Email regarding textbook:

"And when do we have to get the textbook by ?"

One of the assignments for this week requires students to review certain concepts from the textbook.